


Let's Get Wolf A Kimono

by PoisonHemloc



Category: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (Video Game)
Genre: Everyone lives!AU, Found Family, Gen, calling the divine child Mizuho btw, its two sentences but better safe than sorry, mention of potential self harm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:35:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23899855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoisonHemloc/pseuds/PoisonHemloc
Summary: Ashina's independence celebrations are approaching, and the Hirata clan needs better clothing.
Relationships: Kuro | The Divine Heir & Sekiro | Wolf
Comments: 18
Kudos: 75





	Let's Get Wolf A Kimono

**Author's Note:**

> You can choose to write "several kimono" or "several kimonos" both are valid ways to pluralize the word apparently. I chose the first one.

“Lord Kuro, there you are. Can I talk to you for a moment?” Kuro bit back a sigh and turned from the countertop, where he had been making rice balls with the assistance of a stool. Genichiro may have been a lot better now, no longer under the Rejuvenating Sediment’s effects, but Kuro doubted he’d ever be totally comfortable around his cousin again. Adding to that, Genichiro and Wolf had never stopped hating each other; they were only civil because a cadet branch’s highest ranking retainer attacking the lord of the country was cause to wipe out the sorely reduced cadet branch, versus the lord attacking the retainer would be asking to start a war against an practically immortal shinobi who spread sickness and his invulnerable lord and both had enough sense not to start that kind of thing.

“Of course, Lord Genichiro.” Even standing on his stool, Kuro had to crane his neck to look up at Genichiro. 

“The celebrations for Ashina’s independence are in a few months. Since the treaty has finally been signed I believe everyone will be celebrating more this year, and more peasants will be at the castle and as Ashina’s only cadet branch the Hirata family cannot and should not be present in raggedy kimono suited to low class merchants. I have money set aside for the three of you to get new clothing befitting your station and I know of a tailor for you. I’d send you to the castle tailor, but she is going to be busy enough with those of us from Ashina proper.”

“Three of us, Lord Genichiro? You know I’m the only Hirata left.”

“Lady Mizuho is invited, and since she spends all her time with you I’m counting her with the Hirata party. And your highest ranking retainer, since he is present at the castle.”

“I’m sure Mizuho will be happy to come, but Wolf? You actually want him to come?”

“The highest ranking retainers from Ashina will be present, so there’s no reason he should be left out. We’ll be expecting all three of you. The tailor I know of is in Urasaki; I’d advise you to go as soon as possible to be sure your party is ready. I’ll make sure you get the money before you visit him. Lord Kuro.” And Genichiro nodded and walked away, leaving Kuro to frown as he went back to the rice balls.

Kuro had half a moment of hoping this was an olive branch being extended before realizing Genichiro had probably chosen to include Wolf maliciously; as much as the shinobi hid it, he was not comfortable in crowds or formal situations. He was not comfortable spending too long around people he knew to begin with. Wolf might be more willing to come if he knew it would spite Genichiro- Kuro was sure he enjoyed irritating Genichiro, but kept himself in check to avoid bringing the lord’s wrath on Kuro and himself- but whether Wolf actually wanted to come or not, Genichiro had all but ordered all three to attend.

“Wolf, stay here for a minute?” Kuro had been frowning slightly even before Wolf arrived; it was uncharacteristic and worrying. “Mizuho, you need to hear this too.” She walked over from the library as Wolf remained kneeling.

“My Lord?”

“Ashina’s independence celebrations are in a few months. Lord Genichiro told me specifically that all three of us need to be there and we need to be dressed well. He doesn’t approve of a kimono in better shape than his hakama, apparently,” was added in an undertone; Kuro believed his kimono, at least, should have been acceptable. “He has some money saved up for us; he said Hirata needs to be present, and he defined Hirata as me, you, Mizuho, since we are generally together, and you, Wolf, as the highest ranking Hirata retainer. And he was unwilling to accept that one or both of you would be unwilling to come. It’s usually a lot of banqueting and some fireworks, but this year will probably be a lot bigger than normal.” Mizuho frowned, but nodded; she was usually willing to try anything. Wolf was not very expressive, but Kuro knew him well enough to tell that his eyes widening meant he was panicking. 

“Lord Genichiro told me which tailor to talk to in Urasaki, and we’ll need to go soon to be sure everything’s ready by then. Umm… have either of you…?”

“No. The monks had a couple sizes and I altered this to fit.”

“Only for armor.”

“Alright. I… have, a while ago. It’s not that bad, they just need you to stand still. Is it something else?” Wolf had not calmed down.

“...I don’t know how to act for banquets.” Owl had been thorough about everything a shinobi could need to know, but hadn’t thought table manners was on that list. Wolf rarely ate around other people, both because he knew he was sorely lacking table manners, and from a general distrust that no one would try to steal his food.

“Actually, I don’t either, Kuro.” Kuro looked over to Mizuho; both decided not to mention the little sigh of relief from Wolf. “The monks never taught me, and there wasn’t a reason for my family to teach me.”

“Okay. We have a few months until the anniversary. I’m sure I can teach both of you in that time, but we do need to start with the new clothing.” Judging by Wolf’s look, he had something on his mind but did not want to interrupt Kuro. Kuro knew better than to ignore his input; it could be quite valuable. “Wolf, yes?”

“If I cannot learn fast enough-” 

“I’m sure you will, but did you have a different idea?”

“There are a series of ledges in the outskirts, I believe if needed I could break my leg neatly and be in the infirmary for that week.”  _ Could _ be quite valuable, or it could be that. Kuro was silent for a moment, debating his plan versus Wolf’s comfort for both options, and decided on a course of action.

“Let’s call that plan B, Wolf. I’d rather you not get injured if it’s not totally necessary. The etiquette is not difficult to learn,” Kuro lowered his voice again, “otherwise Lord Isshin would not be any good at it; I remember Father telling me he came to it later in life and had some trouble. Lady Emma said he won’t get upset if you aren’t totally perfect, but I think Genichiro is expecting you to be bad at it, Wolf, and it would be nice to prove him wrong.” Kuro finished carefully; he couldn’t outright say he wanted Wolf to irritate Genichiro, but Wolf’s eyes lit up and he nodded once, no longer looking panicked.

Kuro started thinking about how to best go about teaching the two of them table manners and getting new clothing when a sudden thought crept in. He looked at Mizuho; she had the kimono from Senpou temple still. And he looked at Wolf, who had always worn the same dull orange haori for as long as Kuro had known him.

“Wolf… have you ever had a kimono?” He got a frown in response; before Kuro could fully follow an irrational train of thought freaking out that Wolf may not have known what that was, Wolf tugged on what Kuro had always assumed was a dull orange haori.

“This is a kimono, my lord.”

“Wolf… if that’s a kimono it would have to be a child’s kimono.”

“I have had it since I was younger than you are now.” When neither Kuro or Mizuho responded for a few minutes, Wolf decided to ask. “My lord… is something wrong?”

“I- No, Wolf, nothing wrong. I know you have other things to do today, but tomorrow morning we’ll go to the tailor at Urasaki.”

“Yes, my lord.”

After Wolf had been gone a few minutes Kuro sighed. “Sometimes I’m not sure if I’m happy Owl is dead or upset because I can’t yell at a gravestone.”

“If Wolf has held onto it for this long, he is probably attached to it, independent of Owl.”

“You’re right. But I’m going to talk to the tailor tomorrow to see how much other clothing we can get for him. I don’t think he has any spare anything, and since he’s my retainer it should be my responsibility but I haven’t had any money to get anything new.”

“So a new kimono for each of us, and then new everything for Wolf?”

“Yes, but maybe… maybe we should see if the tailor is willing to embroider something? I doubt Genichiro will have enough for all three of us to get embroidery, but-”

“But Wolf deserves something nice for once. We’ll have to see once we’re there. Should we tell him?”

“...No, he’ll tell us not to bother. But we can surprise him with it.”

“Over here, my lord, and stand still, yes, just like that.” Wolf was already on edge to be here; this was a totally new experience, and he had no idea what to expect. Kuro was being measured first, standing still as the tailor got measurements using a knotted piece of string and called out numbers to an assistant. Mizuho seemed calmer today, watching Kuro, but Wolf had a bad feeling that he would have to take his armor off for the measurements and wasn’t looking forward to it. It was a pain to remove or replace armor with only one hand and one prosthetic.

Mizuho went next, holding still like she had watched Kuro do, and was finished quickly enough. The two crowded next to what looked like a sample book of fabrics and patterns as the tailor turned to Wolf and frowned.

“Master shinobi, is  _ that _ what you were planning on wearing under a  _ new _ kimono?” 

“...yes.”

“No. Armor off, please, I have several more measurements to take for you than I did for the Lord and Lady.” Wolf sighed and started pulling at the knots he had done specifically for ease of putting on and taking off his armor with only one hand able to grasp fabric. 

As Wolf held still for the tailor, who was making worried sounds over the sad state of his clothing, Kuro and Mizuho were digging through the sample book. Kuro had found a nice, dark brown fabric he liked that was similar to his normal kimono, while Mizuho chose a russet red that reminded her of the tree in the Hall of Illusions. They had also found a solid orange that was probably similar to Wolf’s kimono, or at least, Wolf’s kimono twenty years ago. Now they were looking at the embroidery patterns when Mizuho pointed at one that made both of them nod. That was perfect. 

The tailor bustled over as Wolf started the process of getting his armor back on. 

“I’d like this fabric, and Mizuho would like this one.” Kuro waited til the man had written that down and, glancing into the other room where Wolf was redoing his obi, leaned in and said quietly, “I think I know which fabric he will want, but I’d like this embroidery pattern on his, please.” The tailor caught the surreptition and nodded, noting the pattern quickly. Kuro held up the sample book as Wolf joined them.

“I’m not sure what color you wanted, Wolf, but I found this-” Wolf nodded, and the tailor wrote down which orange fabric had been picked, then checked the math before offering a total to Kuro. 

“Wonderful, that’s the budget we have from Lord Genichiro.” Three kimonos, the other clothing Wolf needed to wear under a kimono, and the embroidery on his. Kuro knew it would take time before they were ready, but was glad he could make sure Wolf had something nice, even if it wouldn’t be worn frequently.

Kuro and Mizuho stepped outside and immediately started debating using the handful of coins left to get sweets while they were here; Wolf had noticed the two looking at the embroidery section of the sample book, and had started glancing through it as Kuro paid. He looked as the children walked out, then caught the tailor’s eye.

“Did Lord Kuro and Lady Mizuho get embroidered kimono?” The tailor thought for a moment about lying to the shinobi versus not doing as Kuro had silently asked and decided on sticking exactly to what he had been asked.  


“Lord Kuro and Lady Mizuho did not ask for embroidery on their kimono.” The shinobi did not need to know they wanted embroidery on his for some reason.

“If you could do this pattern with persimmons on hers, and the Hirata flower with this on it as well for his, how much more is that?”

The tailor named the average sum for that much more work and was a little shocked to watch the shabby looking shinobi pull two large coin purses out of a pouch and place them on the counter.

“That will cover it. Thank you.” And he walked out to join the children, who had decided to return to the castle and make rice balls again rather than spend any more money.

A few hours after the trip to the tailor, Kuro sat Wolf and Mizuho down in the lookout tower room. He had gotten a servant to bring a table and everything he thought they might need to learn how to use.

Wolf was staring at the small set up. This did not look too difficult to learn. That feeling lasted until Kuro picked a damp cloth next to his seat and started explaining how and how not to use it. 

“Does everything have rules like that?” Asked Wolf without much hope. He knew the answer.

“Yes, to be polite. Ashina can be a little more lax than home was because of Lord Isshin. But it’s better to be able to do everything and then find out where you can cut corners.” Wolf frowned for a moment, then nodded and settled into a more attentive sitting position. Kuro had been right that spiting Genichiro was a good way to convince Wolf to apply himself rather than start scoping out the ledges in the outpost. Mizuho did not need outside motivation; she had decided that if she was going to be treated as a lady, she needed to know how to act like one.

* * *

Wolf had been successfully dissuaded from breaking anything by the discovery that he did pick up etiquette as quickly as Mizuho. He was in a better mood when, two weeks before the celebrations, he went to get the kimono. 

Everything was wrapped in cheaper fabric, to keep it from getting dirty on the way back to the castle. Wolf had checked that the children’s kimono looked right, and was quietly looking forward to them seeing the beautiful embroidery work. He hadn’t checked his own; it was plain orange, like his older kimono, nothing new. 

Kuro and Mizuho both looked excited when he came in. They both hesitated when he handed them the bundles, but they started unwrapping theirs when he nodded encouragingly- and then there were the little gasps when they saw the embroidery work. Mizuho’s had a monkey pattern, every monkey holding a persimmon in either outstretched hand. Kuro’s had the Hirata flower prominently, but there were small dragons winding their way around the other decorations. Wolf was smiling quietly, watching them look at the fabric, when Kuro looked over at him; he hadn’t gone to unwrap his yet. 

“Wolf, did you…?”

“I saw the two of you looking at the embroidery patterns, but the tailor said you did not ask for any embroidery. I thought you might like these patterns.”

Mizuho was smiling, nodded, then said “Wolf, aren’t you going to unwrap yours? We do need to try these on, in case something needs to be changed.” He nodded, starting to unwrap his quickly, as the two exchanged a glance and then watched him pause, then slowly, carefully hold up an orange kimono with an elegant running wolf pattern embroidered on it. 

“I didn’t ask-”

“That’s why we were looking at the embroidery samples, Wolf. We had enough money to get one embroidered, and since you haven’t had anything new in a long time, we wanted to make sure you got something nice.” Wolf didn't respond, was still staring at it expressionless as ever; Kuro and Mizuho glanced at each other, then Kuro asked, “Wolf, is it okay? I wanted it to be a surprise, but if you don’t like the pattern-”

“No I like it.” Wolf’s voice was a little strangled; but Kuro realized what he was trying to hide with his lack of reaction, and moved to sit with his back pressed against Wolf’s legs. Mizuho followed suit after a moment, and they both waited for a few minutes for Wolf to pull himself together. 

“Ready to make sure it fits?” Wolf nodded and disappeared behind a screen; Mizuho and Kuro just had the kimono to try, and tied them on pretty quickly. After a few minutes of admiring each other’s new clothing, Wolf emerged again, uncertainly, then frowned when Kuro did.

“It looks good, you just have this layered the wrong way. Um. How you have it is how you layer a kimono on a dead body.”

“...Maybe I-”

“No, Wolf, you’re alive right now, it should to be the other way.”

“I don’t think you’re supposed to wear a scarf with this… but it’s okay Wolf, I think if it’s a little tighter and you tuck the ends inside you’ll be fine.” Wolf stopped grasping at the scarf and nodded, wrapping it tighter around his neck. The effect was a little odd, but neat enough. 

“Then, I think we’re ready for the celebrations.” Kuro smiled. “We can just surprise everyone with table manners and these kimono when everything starts.” Wolf nodded and disappeared behind the screen to change back, rather than risk damaging the new clothing before the celebrations. 

Kuro caught Mizuho’s eye as they waited for Wolf and smiled slightly. Nothing needed to be said.

**Author's Note:**

> I have had bits of this sitting in my head for months and finally got it down.


End file.
